18 July – Leonard Cohen, Part I

Last night I was able to fulfil a quest of 18 years.  I went to see Leonard Cohen in concert at the O2 Centre.  He was everything I could have hoped for – which is a good thing when first encountering one of your idols face to face (or as he said, “on the other side of intimacy”).  I need the weekend to get my thoughts around this, and to write something worthy of the great man (within the confines of my own mean resources), but I have been able to revise my list of best concerts I’ve been privledged to be a part (and with the great ones – the audience is part).

Here goes (alphabetical): Non-classical: Tori Amos, Wang Center – Boston; David Bowie, Queens’ College – New York; Leonard Cohen, O2 – London; Peter Gabriel, WOMAD– Massachusetts; Lyle Lovett, Harbor Lights – Boston; Magnetic Fields, Town Hall – New York; Peter Murphy, Avalon (I think – it was one of those A clubs) – Boston; Nine Inch Nails, Berkeley College of Music – Boston; Grant Lee Phillips,  Knitting Factory – New York; Tom Waits, Beacon Theatre – New York;  A special shout out to the Chieftains at Ryman in Nashville – but that was such a special night, it has its own category.  Also – I was mostly backstage working, so my concert experience was altered.

Classical: Emanuel Ax/Mark Morris Dance Group/Mostly Mozart – Mozart Program, New York State Theatre – New York; Lisa Batiashvili – Shostakovich: Violin Concerto, Avery Fisher Hall – New York; Batiashvili/Francois Leleux –  Kancheli Double Concerto, Barbican –London; Joshua Bell – Barber: Violin Concerto, Carnegie Hall – New York; Christian Gerhaher/Gerold Huber, Die Muellerin, Carnegie Hall – New York Christian Gerhaher/Gerold Huber, Lieder, Wigmore Hall – London; Midori/Orchestra St. Luke’s – Part: Cantus for Benjamin Britten/Britten: Violin Concerto; Murray Perahia/Lucerne Festival Orchestra – Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4, Symphony No. 9, Carnegie Hall – New York; Murray Perahia – Recital, Carnegie Hall – New York; Nikolaj Znaider, Sibelius: Violin Concerto, Avery Fisher Hall – New York;